Monsters
by KoolJack1
Summary: Hannibal/Will Friendship. This is just something that's been stuck in my mind. Takes place right after Hannibal is captured, bridging the time gap between the Hannibal we know and the man in the movies. My own take on things. One-shot. Terrible summary.


He's trembling as he pats down his pockets, ensuring that he has indeed handed everything over.

"If he attempts to hand you anything, do not accept it. Do not go within 3 feet of the glass. Do not share any personal information with him, and do not hesitate to call for an orderly. We'll be right outside, you have five minutes." Will nodded at every instruction, staring at the hard, cement ground while the gate slid open. He stepped inside, flinching as the gate clicked locked loudly behind him. He swallowed thickly at the silence that followed, walking slowly towards the end of the cell blocks. He stopped outside the glass, hands in his pockets. He felt like he was at the zoo, only he wasn't observing an animal.

The man he'd thought he'd known rather well was pacing the small room; his wrists were handcuffed to a chain belt, and more chains linked from the belt down to his ankles. He had on sweats and a plain orange t-shirt, and he'd never seen him so _casual._ The other man's head snapped up then, just realizing he was no longer alone. Will tore his eyes from the other man's body and they made eye contact. Worse than the rest, strapped to Hannibal's face was a plastic mask that covered his face, his _mouth._ Will's mouth opened slightly and his heart clenched. Even now fully aware of who this man was, _what he was,_ seeing him like this killed him. He couldn't accept that they weren't friends, that his man was a dangerous animal. Here he was though, caged and chained. Hannibal froze for a moment before rushing towards the glass; overstepping the freedom his chains allowed and nearly stumbling forward.

Instinctively, Will took a step back from the glass as Hannibal put his palm up to it. "Will," the voice was so familiar, and Will still didn't want to believe this was the truth. "Will, don't be afraid of me." He was torn between believing that people like Hannibal were cold blooded killers and believing that the man before him was sick. "Will?"

"How could you lie to me like that?" Hannibal's had slid off the glass, and Will tried to look into his eyes and not at the mask that covered his mouth. They said it was just a precaution, but he couldn't imagine the Hannibal he knew lashing out and sinking his teeth into a living breathing being. Jack had told him that the only way to accept all of this was to put the Hannibal that had become his friend, and the Hannibal that was captured as two different people. Coming to see him would be a mistake, Jack told him. But he had to come see for himself, at least one more time. They told him Hannibal didn't care, that this was all a funny game to him, but still Will couldn't bare the thought of leaving the other man to go through this alone. Hannibal never left him alone.

"I didn't want to, Will. I'm not an animal. I can't help what I am, they don't understand." They'd told him that Hannibal couldn't be put into general population, but not for his safety. "They're treating me as some sort of animal, Will. There has to be something Jack or you can do. The guards make me eat off the ground, and they don't take these things off." He lifted his wrists waist high, as high as he could. "I can't sit down, the chains aren't long enough." _Anything he says to you is a lie, a manipulation trick, Will. Jack had told him. You can not let him get inside your head anymore, Will. He isn't who we thought he was._

"I have no authority, I left the F.B.I. for good. I'm only here as a visitor," his voice sounded different; distance to even himself. Hannibal's piercing eyes stared into his, and he couldn't bring himself to look away.

"I know what they said about me, Will. We're friends Will, you can't forget that. It's for the better that you left, it was starting to destroy you."

"Do not talk to me like you know me, Hannibal," he hissed, and suddenly he was beyond angry. _You can't trust a word he says_. "I left because of you, I trusted you like I've never trusted anyone before, and you just gave me a hundred more reasons why I couldn't trust anyone, not even myself. They told me I can't trust a word you said, it's all for manipulation. You're manipulating me right now."

Hannibal didn't miss a beat, "Who can I possibly manipulate from in here, like this? I didn't betray your trust Will, I did nothing to harm you. We _are_ friends."

"No, Hannibal, we _were_ friends," he shook his head, swallowing his tears. "I'm not friends with monsters."

Hannibal was still for a second before pressing the front of his mask against the glass. "I didn't want to be a monster." Will believed him, despite everything he was told, and everything he knew. He couldn't believe someone who had the potential to be such a kind hearted person, could ever want to be this.

"Why didn't you tell me, Hannibal? I could have tried to help you, we could have figured something out."

For the first time since they met, Hannibal laughed. "I've never met anyone like you Will. You're so..._good._ Even the bad you've done, it's still good. Compared to me you're an angel, yet you're wishing you could have helped me. Nothing could have helped me, I am what I am and I can not change it. You have to learn to accept who you are, Will. I've learned to accept who I am. I am terribly sorry you got caught up in this though, I did not wish for that to happen."

Will just stared at him for a few more moments, and Hannibal's finger came through the small hole in the glass that allowed Will to hear him. Then the gate slid open again down the hall, "Times up, Mr. Graham."

"You'll come back, Will?" Hannibal asked him quietly, still right against the glass.

Will hesitated only for a second before closing the gap between them until he was right at the glass. "Goodbye, Hannibal. For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry." He quickly touched the mans finger that was outside of the hole, the only free part of his body there was. Then he turned and walked down the hall without looking back.

A few days passed, and he didn't pick up any calls from Bloom or Jack. He didn't feel like talking to them, he didn't feel like talking to anyone. At night, when he was able to sleep, he dreamt about Hannibal being free again. If he knew before, what would he have done? If the other man had told the final secret between them, what would he have done? He'd like to think he would have turned him in, ensure the safety of so many more. In his heart he didn't think he could sacrifice his friend, he didn't even think he would be afraid of him.

On the sixth day since his visit, he was making himself an omelet when the phone rang. He let it go to message, _Will, it's Jack. Look, I know you don't want to talk to me right now. But there's something you should know, there's been an...accident. At the prison. It's not a good idea to go down there, Will. I just thought I should tell you. Call me back if you want to know anything about it._

Will took the pan off the stove, put on his shoes, and grabbed his F.B.I. identification and was out the door before Jack even hung up.

"I really am not supposed to let anyone in here," the young guard said nervously. Will wasn't aggressive, but right now he didn't have time for this. He held up his badge again, hoping the man wouldn't take note of the expiration date in the corner.

"I'm here under the authority of Agent Jack Crawford, B.A.U. office of the F.B.I. We are who captured Hannibal Lecter and we're here to see what happened," Will explained steadily, and the man stepped aside and the gate slid open and Will let out a breath he was holding.

The gurney didn't have wheels, and it was attached sternly to the floor. His eyes swept over the nude body that was laid out before him, and again the sight couldn't set in for him. Hannibal's arms and legs were strapped to the bed, 3 leather straps secured his legs down, his waist, and his forehead. The bruises on his chest were dark red and purple. His abdomen was just as bruised; dark marks covered him. He saved his face for last, happy to see at least the mask was removed. His left eye was swollen shut with a purple and blue bruise, his jaw was held closed with wires and a bandage. Will was frozen in place, and he wished he hadn't come; especially when Hannibal's good eye opened slightly. He didn't look away, even as a puzzled look crossed his face. Clouded in confusion he tried to sit up, a noise erupted from his throat. He coughed through his teeth, unable to open his mouth; his hands balling into tight fists. "Who did this to you?" Will asked, knowing Hannibal couldn't answer.

He grabbed the file hanging off the side of the bed, flipping to the last page.

_Incident report:_

_Lecter, Hannibal._

_Three cracked ribs, fractured forearm, minor __concussion, abdominal bleeding, two broken hand bones in the left hand, four broken fingers in the right hand, fractured cheekbone, broken jaw, dislocated shoulder, bruised eye._

_Prisoner is to be under twenty-four hour supervision. Three way leather straps and arm and leg restraints at all time. No morphine is to be administered._

_Guards claim prisoner attacked them during transport back to his cell and they responded out of self-defense. Prisoner is to be under twenty-four seven lock down._

"You aren't supposed to read his file," a man said from right in front of him, and he snatched the paper back out of his hands. His eyes traveled back to Hannibal, who twitched against his restraints, his good eye wide opened. He didn't care what anyone said to him, he saw _fear _in his eye. He didn't believe Hannibal Lecter was truly an animal before this, but whatever chance he had at humanity was gone now. He would have to play the part of the animal they were treating him like, if he wanted to survive here.

"Why isn't he being given morphine? He's in pain," Will hissed at him, disgusted at how he walked past Hannibal without a glance in his direction as the other man whimpered on the bed. _Cruelty is a gift humanity has given itself,_ Hannibal had once said, and that's what this was; cruel.

"Warden's orders, take it up with him." Just like that, he was gone and they were alone again.

"I'm going to try, Hannibal. You don't deserve this." The other man made a noise in his throat, "Don't try to talk," he shushed gently, his fingers reaching out to touch his arm where he didn't look bruised. The man flinched away from him, but Will didn't let go. "I believe you, Hannibal," he said quietly. He didn't know when, if ever, he'd see this other man again. "I don't think all of it was lies, we are friends." He swallowed his tears, but he felt one slip down his cheek despite his efforts, "I understand who you're going to have to be from here on out, I won't hold it against you." The one open eye stared up at him, and he didn't know what else to say. "I'm going to go speak to the warden. I don't know when I'll be able to come back, but I'll try. Just don't forget who you were, or at least who I thought you were." The eye closed, and Will silently willed him to sleep for awhile, and he stood there for another minute before patting the arm gently and turning to go find the warden.

The office door opened and he was out of the chair he had been waiting in before it opened all the way. "Before you lie to me, I already called Jack Crawford and he confirmed that you aren't here on his behalf. So before you lie some more, what do you want? You infiltrated my prison's security and put yourself and my guards at risk; you have one minute to explain yourself."

"I'm here about the treatment of Hannibal Lecter-"

"Hannibal Lecter is a serial killing sociopath who practiced cannibalism. Jack Crawford asked me to try to be understanding of the situation, he said you thought Lecter was your friend. Kid, that man isn't capable of friendship, Agent Graham."

Will looked him right in the eye, "That has nothing to do with how he's being treated, the man has been beaten and he's in pain and he isn't being given any pain relief. Who did that to him?"

The warden laughed, and Will wanted to hit him, "Well your _friend_ tried to attack the guards transporting him, they acted out of selfdefense. There are to be no sharp objects around him when he's awake, restrained or not, therefor no IV needle for his morphine."

"The security tapes," Will said slowly.

"Pardon me?"

"Show me the tapes, of when Hannibal attacked your guards."

The warden smirked at him, "How dare you test my patience like this, after everything you've done here today. There is nothing you can do for your _friend _now, he's a monster and he will be treated just like the other monsters. He'll never see the light of day, and I'm putting you on the no visits list, for your own good. If you try to come back here again and cause a scene, you'll be behind bars too. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Graham?"

Will was ready to argue, but instead he turned and hurried out of the waiting room, down the hallway, past the front desk, and out into the sunlight.

"Will, I told you not to go see him," Jack had his face in his hands in frustration.

Will sat in his office, across the desk from him, "I know, Jack. I made a mistake, but you need to see what they're doing to him in there. They're treating him-"

Jack slammed his hands down on his desk and Will jumped, "I _know, _Will. I knew before you went there, that's why I didn't want you to go. They don't know the Hannibal we knew, but that man wasn't real. He manipulated us, don't you see that? He had us right where he wanted us."

He was getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, so he ignored it, "I don't think what the guards did was selfdefense, Jack. I can't believe Hannibal would just attack them."

Jack Crawford lifted his head then, and they stared at each other. One of the few times the two men ever made eye contact. "If I pull some strings and get the security tapes and you watch them, will that allow you some closure?"

Will nodded slowly, and Jack picked up the phone. He had to see for himself if the man really was the monster everyone claimed him to be.

Will checked back every day first thing to see if Jack had gotten the footage yet, only to be disappointed. Until the fourth day, "Yes, they're here Will."

"Did you watch them yet?"

"No, Will. I'll watch them with you when you get here."

He hung up and was out the door without another word.

They were sitting at Jack's desk, door closed. Jack put the tape in the player and the television came to life. Neither of them spoke as five men entered the picture of the otherwise empty hallway. Four guards pulled the prisoner along like a dog on a leash, the chain attached to the cuffs and shackles on the other man. It looked like a normal scene, until one of the guards yanked the lead and the prisoner stumbled. They were on him then, before the other man could even attempt to stand up. The kicks and punches landed all over the man on the ground, the chains too short to allow him to cover himself. There was no sound but Will could only imagine the sickening cracks of bones with each kick. It lasted for a whole thirty seconds, and one last man delivered the blow to the face that broke his friends jaw. The guard leaned down then and he imagined the guard whispered something to him, right before they hoisted him to his feet and dragged him out of the sight of the camera.

Jack got up and ejected the tape without a word, putting it in his top desk drawer. Will felt satisfied, he knew. "Now what, Jack?"

"You either decide to come back and consult for us, or you find yourself a new job and you let this go."

"I mean, what do we do about that?"

Jack slammed the desk drawer shut, "Nothing, Will. You got your answer, and now you let it go. There's nothing either of us can do."

Will stared at him, but Jack sat back down at his desk without looking up again. He turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.


End file.
